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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Schmidt: Verizon, Sprint customers in Kansas eligible for refunds under national settlement

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Verizon and Sprint customers in Kansas who were charged for third-party services on their mobile phone bills without their consent are eligible to receive refunds as part of a multi-state settlement reached today, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

The national settlement announced today was reached between Verizon, Sprint and the attorneys general of Kansas and 49 other states and the District of Columbia, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Communications Commission.

It resolves allegations that Verizon and Sprint placed charges on consumers’ mobile phone bills for third-party services that had not been authorized by the consumer, a practice known as “mobile cramming.”

This settlement follows similar settlements reached with AT&T and T-Mobile last year.

Under the terms of the settlement, Sprint and Verizon are required to provide $50 million and $70 million, respectively, in refunds to consumers who were victims of cramming.

“Consumers have a right to know what services they are signing up for and to be clearly informed about the cost of those services,” Schmidt said. “This settlement represents our continued efforts to return money to consumers for charges they didn’t know they were signing up for and were often unable to cancel.”

Consumers who are uncertain whether or not they are owed a refund can file a request with the mobile carrier to identify any third-party charges they may have been unaware of.

For information on how to do this or to file a claim, Kansas consumers should visit the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org or call (800) 432-2310.